I Got Saved in a Charismatic Church Last Night

My wife and I visited a charismatic church north of Denver last night. We've been there before. We love it; it's a treat for us to have time to get away and one of the things we like to do sometimes is visit certain churches with which we are in relationship.

After the song worship section one of the pastors shared the gospel and invited us to take some time and pray for those people we know who are do not know Christ. Then he asked us if there were any of us who had some issues of sin in our life we were not dealing with. He prayed and asked us to raise our hands if we wanted prayer for these issues. I raised my hand. I always have lots of issues.

Well, what I didn't realize was this was the time in the service where the invite people in the congregation who do not know Jesus to raise their hands for salvific prayers. I had several people come to me while we were praying asking if I wanted prayer. I told them I thought I was getting prayer as the pastor up front was praying. Apparently they want to pull you aside and pray with you. Another older lady confronted my wife and wanted to pray with her and give her literature. My wife was sweet and told her I was just doing business with God.

I love it! I love a church that will pray for people to get right with God through Jesus. I love a church that will worship Jesus and invite those who do not know know Him to pray and invite Him to take over their lives. I love that they want to pray with me to get saved. Again. ;)

I got saved in a Charismatic church last night. Again.

Preaching

Ok, Word Press did not pan out for me.

So I'm going to still with blogger for the time being.

For the last two weeks I have been preaching at FBC Broomfield; a small Baptist church. It's been a surprisingly wonderful experience. I had not anticipated falling in love with the people so quickly. I had thought I would get in, preach the message, and get out. Clean and easy. However as I've prepared the message with these precious people in mind, prayed for them regularly, thought of them constantly, and spent time with them before and after the service I have grown quite attached.

They treat my children with such warmth and love; I have only been in one other church that treats my children so kind and it is Calvary.

I am really enjoying my preaching time. It's forced me back into the Word at a deeper level. I am also sensing this opportunity as a way to gauge preaching on a regular basis. I can honestly say I could get used to preaching every week. I love it.

John 4 Cross Cultural Ministry

There is a stain of blood in America when it comes to reaching out to neighbors who have differing cultural background. From the hostile way African-American’s were treated during the days of slavery and beyond, to our modern day trials with illegal immigrants crossing our borders; Americans have been hostile toward each other in the area of race. What makes this even more tragic is God has called His children to cross cultural boundaries to build bridges of relationship that will carry the weight of the good news of Jesus in order to transform lives, families, cultures, and make worshippers of God out of the nations.

When Jesus walked on this earth, the tension between Jews and Samaritans was intense. Jews disliked Samaritans so much that they would work very hard to avoid them and their territory as much as possible.[1] These tensions dated back for centuries before Jesus walked Jerusalem. When the Jews returned from Exile in Babylon, the Samaritans offer to help rebuild the temple was refused.[2] This only helped to exacerbate the bitterness between the two people groups.

One would think the Jews and the Samaritans could find common ground in the fact they worshipped the same God; however, the Samaritans used only a portion of the Old Testament, which was the Pentateuch.[3] The Jews, on the other hand, enjoyed much more of the Scriptures in the Psalms, the Prophets and other books.[4] Also, instead of worshipping together, around 400 B.C. the Samaritans built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim. Their refusal to worship with the Jews increased the divide between them. This cultural bitterness created a culture where a “Samaritan” did not only mean someone from the city of Samaria, but also someone who is a member of that race as well.[5]

Religion played a great deal in the hearts and minds of Jews and Samaritans; thus these differences between them were a cause for great consternation. By today’s standards people may look at these issues as insignificant; yet religious differences were at the heart of much of their cultural anxiety toward each other.

The ancient Greco-Roman[6] household model recognized the husband as the ruler of the house and it would have been common for children and wives to submit to this rule.[7] They were not valued in the same way men are valued. In ancient times it was understood that women were weaker than a man; this was looked at as a good thing, even desirable. Yet unlike in today’s worldview, women were unable to make decisions on their own because of their weakness. The idea would have been a weak body (compared to the male physique) also meant a weak mind.[8] Because of this rabbis would not teach women; this made it difficult for women to get an education.[9] It would have been radical that women would sit at the feet of Jesus while He taught them; or that Paul would instruct Timothy to have the women taught.[10]

In this culture men would rarely speak to women in public, even if the woman were his wife! And single men would never speak to or touch another female. It would have been expected for women to be in a more subservient role in this society. Because women were not considered equal to men, they were expected to submit to men. The relationship between a husband and his wife was one where the wife submitted to the husband. She would take on his ways, his friends, even his religion. Historian Tertullian even noted the radical mistreatment of Christian wives by their unbelieving husbands.[11] This could create tension for the wife who was expected to submit. Even more pressure was added to this as it was thought in order to prosper and have well being there had to be order in the home; which meant if the wife did not want to be blamed for something going wrong she would submit to her husband.[12] In this antagonistic culture toward women, the lack of submission by a wife, especially a Christian wife, could prove hostile.

Theological and Biblical

It is exciting to know that our God is a pursuing God. This is revealed throughout John’s gospel as he reveals his understanding of mission. God the Father sends John the Baptist, He sends Jesus, He sends the Holy Spirit, and this sending culminates in the sending of His Church.[13] John records Jesus’ words, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.” (John 4:23 NASB)

Because the Samaritans and the Jews worshipped in different temples, in different geographical places (Samaritans worship on Mt. Gerizim and he Jews worshipped in Jerusalem), there was division in their worship. They may be worshipping the same God, but their ideas of separation because of cultural, religious, perhaps even political differences. Jesus stated, “an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.” (John 4:21 NASB) There is no longer a need to be in a certain temple, at a certain location, or to be a privileged sex or race to worship God. God is above these things; He is “Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24 NASB) Like the divisions in first-century Middle Eastern cultures, the divisions that people have today need the same Scriptural balm to heal them. Some denominations will not worship God with other denominations. In some areas of America whites will not worship with people who have a different skin tone; the racism in this country is not much different than the racism between the Jewish people and the Samaritans. God is above and beyond specific cultural mores that divide; He is wanting to have unity in His body[14] so that all people at all times in every nation will worship Him.

True worship is the worship of God “in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24 NASB) Because God is spirit, this is how humanity must worship Him. It is not the human spirit Jesus is referring to in this passage; humanity does not need to work itself up in some kind of hysteria in order to get some spiritual high in order to be worshipping God. No, what Jesus means is the true worship is “worship that is dynamically animated by God’s Holy Spirit.”[15] The Spirit of God, dwelling in true believers, ignites true worship. It is not something conjured up, it is something initiated by the Spirit of God Himself. We see again the initiation by God even in the worship of Himself. Because God is spirit, He is not bound to any specific locale, as the Samaritan woman seems to understand worship. He is invisible, He is life giving, and He is unknowable unless He reveals himself.[16] His initiation and pursuit of people is rewarded by the worship and praise of His adoring children.

The transcendence of the Father means that He is not bound by physical formalities. True worship of God is worship that is honest, genuine, and from the heart.[17] Humanity need not have a certain cultural form to worship God; or be a part of a certain racial heritage, or speak a certain language, or be a part of a certain religious tradition to be able to worship God in spirit and truth.

The role of Christ in mission is he is the connecting person between the Father and humanity. One need only be connected to God in relationship through the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ through His death, burial and resurrection.[18] In the context of this Scripture, there is no longer a need to travel to a physical temple to worship God; children of God can worship Him anywhere and everywhere. He is the drink that quenches every spiritual thirsting of humanity. When the nations drink of Jesus, they will drink of “living water” so they will “never thirst” again. (John 4:10, 14 NASB)

Missiological

In this text, Jesus confronted the Samaritan woman with her sin; “for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband.” (John 4:17-18 NASB) In this culture, unlike in today’s culture, living together would have been considered morally wrong.[19] In her conviction, she recognizes a Messianic element in Jesus as she went back and told her friends (4:39) what she had learned about Jesus; instantly she becomes a missionary to her own home town evangelizing and sharing about Jesus, the long awaited Messiah. (4:25) We know the harvest is ready when there is conviction of sin and an understanding that one needs a savior, the Savior, to cleanse them from their wrong doing and give them new life.

Jesus did not wait for the Samaritan woman to come find Him; the text states that Jesus “had to pass through Samaria.” (John 4:4 NASB) Given the hostile nature of Jewish/Samaritan relations, and the fact Jews would go out of their way to avoid Samaria, Jesus makes a point to go here. He is pursuing this woman. He is intentional. The first missiological lesson is we cannot wait for the lost to come to us, but we must be intentional to go to the lost.

Jesus not only intentionally went where the lost were, but He pursued the marginalized of society. It is lost on modern readers how radical this is that Jesus – a single, Jewish man - was talking to not just a woman, but to a Samaritan woman. Jesus did not let the cultural traditions stop Him from reaching out to the least of society. The second missiological lesson that can be gleaned from this passage is that current ministry must include intentional outreach to the marginalized in our society. Those who are hurting, broken and on the outskirts will not come to the church; the church must go to them.

The third missiological lesson that can be gleaned from this passage is quite clear: the only message the lost need to hear is the message of the gospel. Too many churches and ministries want to build a pragmatic, program driven ministry that not only does it not reach the lost, it does not even think about doing cross-cultural ministry to the marginalized. It has become more important in modern Christian circles to build programs and ministries that reach other Christians, rather than to do the work of preaching the gospel to the poor, broken, sick, and destitute for the purpose of introducing them to a God who loves them and wants to give them new life. We would rather sit in tepid pools of luke-warm ministry than to be refreshed by the everlasting waters of Jesus Christ. As odd as it may sound to modern ears, the mission of missions is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. If preaching Jesus was good enough for Jesus, (“I who speak to you am he.” (John 4:26 NASB)), then it is certainly good enough for His church to build a ministry of mission that preaches salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

The wells in my context, which include Littleton and Englewood, surround our church. We are situated in, if not the hardest section of this part of Denver, then certainly one of them. Our area receives the highest number of 911 calls; there is a large number of suicides, economic disaster among families, and all-around dysfunction. Surrounding the church where I worship is a community where sin has a strong grip. Our church is becoming known in the church district for having a strong passion to reach this community with the saving news of Jesus Christ. There are members of the Englewood/Littleton community who are coming to faith for the first time. There are others who are being saved out of a life of drugs and sexual addictions, they are getting baptized, and they are sharing their faith with their family and friends. It is like watching the story of the Samaritan woman at the well every Sunday at Calvary Baptist Church. We are baptizing women who share about their past of drugs, alcohol, sleeping around with other men; and who are now, because of Christ, have been able to turn their life around. They are getting their kids back from foster homes because the state took their children away due to their out-of-control lifestyle. Young men are being saved and baptized; they share their story of how God is ministering to them. For the first time in their life they feel accepted and loved. Fathers are finally walking in their role to lead their families by submitting to Christ; their transformation is radically changing their family dynamic in such a deep and wonderful way. There is much healing and miraculous work taking place as the gospel penetrates a broken community.

For a very long part of my life I have not taken my calling in ministry seriously. In fact, I have not taken the mission of God seriously. I have known since 1988 that God was calling me to shepherd His body; and yet, even though I knew this, I did not take it seriously. I ran from this calling for many years. This is unfortunate because there is no greater calling, no greater privilege, than to serve Jesus Christ. It was not until three years ago that I began to realize serving God is a serious thing. I began to evaluate the areas of my life that were hindering me from doing this work.

For me, the temple that hindered me from worshipping God in spirit and truth was the arrogant lie I believed that suggested I knew more than anyone else about Scripture; I felt if others did not agree with me they were wrong. I did not worship God in any other way than that which made me look good in front of others. I studied at an institution that was rather anti-charismatic so I bought into a lie that insisted all charismatic worship is an embarrassment to God and Christianity as a whole. I looked down on anyone who believed differently; and I was especially disinterested in listening to anyone who believed in any type of theology that seemed to be less than Calvinistic.

It cannot be emphasized enough how valuable the decision to be a part of the Denver Seminary has been on breaking down these walls and introducing me to a new framework from which to view those who may fall outside of my theological grid. In fact, my theological grid has been changing and morphing as I interact with others who may not hold the same value on certain doctrinal points as I do. This has increased my love for others outside of my sphere, as well as a desire to continue to grow in my capacity to love those who are from differing theological, even cultural backgrounds. I am moved by God’s heart to pursue all people at all times in all places. We serve a good and mighty God!

Bibliography

Brown, Jeanine K. “Silent Wives, Verbal Believers: Ethical and Hermeneutical

Considerations in 1 Peter 3:1-6 and Its Context.” Word & World 24. 2004.

Burge, Gary M. “John.” The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 2000.

Laney, Carl J. “John.” Chicago: Moody Publishers. 1992.

Jobes, Karen H. “1 Peter.” in Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand

Rapids: Baker Academic. 2005.

Keener, Craig S. “1 Peter” in The IVP Bible Background Commentary. Downers Grove:

InterVarsity Press. 1993.

Morris, Leon. “The Gospel According to John.” Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans

Publishing Company. 1995.

Rogers,Cleon Jr. and Cleon Rogers. “The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek

New Testament.” Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1998.

Slaughter, James R. “Winning Unbelieving Husbands to Christ.” in Bibliotheca Sacra 153.

2006.

Tennet, Timothy C. “Invitation to World Missions.” Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications.

2010.

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[1] Leon Morris, “The Gospel According to John,” (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995.) 226.

[2] Ibid, 227.

[3] Ibid, 226-227.

[4] Ibid, 227.

[5] Ibid, 227.

[6] Craig S. Keener, “1 Peter” in The IVP Bible Background Commentary, (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 485.

[7] Jeanine K. Brown, “Silent Wives, Verbal Believers: Ethical and Hermeneutical Considerations in 1 Peter 3:1-6 and Its Context,” Word & World 24 (2004): 399.

[8] Keener, “IVP Bible Background,) 716.

[9] Gary M. Burge, “John,” The NIV Application Commentary. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.) 332.

[10] 1 Timothy 2:11

[11] James R. Slaughter, “Winning Unbelieving Husbands to Christ,” in Bibliotheca Sacra 153 (2006), 202.

[12] Karen H. Jobes, “1 Peter” in Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005), 203.

[13] Timoth C. Tennet, “Invitation to World Missions,” (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2010.) 154.

[14] John 17

[15] Burge, “John,” 147.

[16] Cleon Rogers and Cleon Rogers, “The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament,” (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998.) 189.

[17] J. Carl Laney, “John,” (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992.) 96.

[18] 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-10; and other scriptures that speak to salvation by grace through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

[19] Laney, “John,” 94-95.

The Mission of God

Billy Graham stated in an interview that he would be willing to go anywhere, sponsored by anyone, so long as there were no strings attached to his message, in order to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. The example set by so many in the church throughout history to do just that is humbling and challenging. From the earliest days in Cyprus and Cyrene as the unnamed disciples evangelized the Gentiles[1], upon which the groundwork of the cultural translatability of the gospel was laid, up through Raymond Lull’s ministry to the Muslim peoples and his groundbreaking and counter cultural work to reach out to those who would have been considered the enemy;[2] it is inspiring to hear how the redemption of mankind found in Jesus has been proclaimed.

The history of missions reveals that God is still pursuing the nations. The Korean church is a wonderful example of this as God takes Korean nationals out of Korea for them to hear the gospel and be saved, only to send them back to Korea in order to build His church.[3] Also the fact the Scriptures have been translated in over four hundred new languages[4] is a powerful testimony to the fact God wants the nations to know Him. The example of a contextualized[5] gospel as the need for churches to be planted in cultures to disciple Christians in order to root the redemptive work of Christ further into the culture.[6]

The changing face of global Christianity with Pentecostalism[7] is something that needs to be recognized and understood. Stereotyped for lacking a robust theology,[8] this movement in the church needs to be addressed as God continues to move in a remarkable way through Pentacostalism. The Pentecostal church is not isolated to Latin America[9] but is also having a remarkable impact in Africa as well. The Zionist[10] churches are growing and influencing global Christianity and cannot be ignored. The church in Africa, misunderstood[11] as it may be, is demonstrative of God moving as it “will soon become the most Christian continent on earth.”[12]

The growth in Pentecostalism is increasing, perhaps renewing, the global churches understanding of the Holy Spirit and the gifts He provides,[13] the importance of worshiping God in Spirit and in truth,[14] and the urgency with which the world must be evangelized[15] before Christ returns to receive His Bride, the church. The Holy Spirit is the “central agent in the unfolding of the missio dei, enabling the church to experience the New Creation”.[16] The church, infused with the power of the Holy Spirit, is the embodiment of the New Creation.[17] The church will suffer; the world hated Christ, and the world will hate His Bride. This suffering, though not wanted but normal, identifies believers with their Master Jesus.[18] Suffering also matures believers and give them doors for evangelism that would not have been available in other contexts and situations. As believes in Messiah suffer, hope in the return of Christ increases.[19] The missio dei is not yet fulfilled; suffering increases the hope in the kingdom of God being established on earth where all peoples at all times worship Jehovah. We long for the return of King Jesus.

Analysis

Invitation To World Missions is thorough and broad in laying a foundation for understanding what God is doing in the world and what our part, as the church, should be in partnering with Him. It is very good to see how God has used the church, even individuals within the church, throughout history to impact their culture with the gospel. There is much knowledge to be gleaned by learning of the triumphs and failures of those who risked, sometimes all, to get the message of Jesus Christ to those who have not heard. Even though the way the gospel is presented, or the means through which the gospel is presented, may vary from generation to generation, the message of the gospel will never change.

One of the many strengths of this book is the consistent focus on the church’s responsibility to get the message of the gospel into the hands and hearts of people in all cultures. This book is not about laying out any programs or strategies for doing this, because programs and strategies may work for one group at one time in history but will not work for another group at another time in history.[20] Success in presenting the gospel to a culture can be a great thing; but the danger is that the culture may think the success was because of the method, not the Power of the Spirit of God behind the method.[21] When the church contextualizes, we must remember the goal is to be “faithful to the original biblical context and authorial intent of the biblical message.”[22] The goal is not faithfulness to the particular method or strategy used.

Another strength in this book is the author begins to lay a foundation for a good theology of suffering. He is right in diagnosing the problem with Western Christianity’s “inability to live theologically in the ‘not yet’ arises because of a rigid, Enlightenment-initiated dualism, which unduly separates God and world, including God and His church.”[23] In a culture that values triumphalism[24] while lacking a good theology of suffering[25], the idea that suffering is a true mark of the church[26] (not a mark of failure on the part of the believer who suffers for Christ), and to help His children be connected more to the identity of Jesus,[27] is radical. The missio dei is God’s initiating act of establishing His kingdom, and there are many places on this earth where the people do not want His kingdom established. To partner with the missio dei is to participate in the sufferings of Christ.[28] A good and robust theology must include suffering in order to press on in this endeavor to be used by God to establish His kingdom. This is certainly challenging, and indeed it is counter-cultural here in the West where we are taught from childhood to be the strongest, the best, the victors, and to not be used by anyone.[29]

Mark 9:35, Jesus teaches those who would aspire to leadership must be willing to serve. The greatest in the kingdom are not those who are the strongest, or those who demonstrate their success by using others to come out on top, but those who are willing to serve others. To become least is the key to greatness in God’s economy. This is a radically different teaching. And given the lack of this type of teaching in Western Christianity[30] it is crucial the church begins to teach this and even be willing to model this.

There has been an assumption of mission that believes one can participate in the global work of Christ and what the church looks like in the States is what the church will look like in other cultures. In some circles, Pentecostalism carries a lot of negative baggage associated with the movement such as the “health, wealth, and prosperity” teaching found in some Pentecostal circles.[31] This association with heresy causes great angst at what the church will look like in places where Pentecostalism is rising. The desire for the church to be biblically sound, coupled with the knowledge that Biblical depth is not a priority for the Pentecostal church,[32] is very unnerving. However, it is refreshing to know God is breathing a fresh and “vibrant life”[33] into His church by renewing the churches emphasis on worship.[34] Sometimes Western Christian’s have the idea that what we know about God is the most important priority, in other words the priority of cognitive knowledge is what God favors. As important as a solid, theological foundation is, Ephesians 2:17 reminds us the knowledge God desires is an experiential, or relational, knowledge. A knowledge of “trust between” two persons that recognizes the two as friends in a love relationship.[35] The global Pentecostal movement will challenge the body of Christ to increase in areas of worship. To celebrate this relationship humanity has with their Creator in beautiful worship. We worship God because we cherish Him. The Pentecostal movement is demonstrating to the church how to cherish God in worship. This is highly valuable because “missionaries will never call out, ‘Let the nations be glad!’ who cannot say from the heart, ‘I rejoice in the Lord.’”[36] As we partner with God in the missio dei we need not only to be theologically strong with our minds, but also to be emotionally strong with our hearts. The most crucial issue facing the church today is the lack of the centrality of God[37] in the life of the body of Christ. We have made lesser things our priority in the church. We forget that God’s ultimate goal is worship[38] of Himself by all peoples at all times every where.

The denominational walls that separate the body of Christ must be broken down. As difficult as it may be, the body of Christ must learn from each other and value each other. Pentecostalism can benefit from other areas of Christ’s body where deep and rich theological waters reside. Those areas of the body where academia and headiness are a priority can benefit from the fresh spiritual breezes of Pentecostalism to refresh their hearts and invigorate their robust theological lungs.

Bibliography

Brown, Colin. “Dictionary of New Testament Theology.” Vol.2. Grand Rapids: Zondervan,

1986.

"Success-N-Life." www.roberttiltonlive.com.

http://www.roberttiltonlive.com/webcast.html (accessed October 26,

2011).

Osteen, Joel. “Your Best Life Now.” New York: Time Warner Book Group, 2004.

Tennent, Timothy C. “Invitation to World Missions.” Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2010.

Trump, Donald. “Think Big.” New York: HarperCollins, 2007.

Piper, John. “Let the Nations Be Glad.” (Grand Rapids:Baker, 2003.

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[1] Timothy C. Tennet, “Invitation to World Missions,” (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2010.) 233.

[2] Ibid, 243.

[3] Ibid, 253.

[4] Ibid, 267.

[5] Ibid, 348-349.

[6] Ibid, 275-276.

[7] Ibid, 286

[8] Ibid, 289.

[9] Ibid, 287.

[10] Ibid, 297-298.

[11] Ibid, 300-301.

[12] Ibid, 301.

[13] Ibid, 421.

[14] Ibid, 422.

[15] Ibid, 422.

[16] Ibid, 431.

[17] Ibid, 457.

[18] Ibid, 483.

[19] Ibid, 484.

[20] Ibid, 350.

[21] Ibid, 412.

[22] Ibid, 349.

[23] Ibid, 479.

[24] Joel Osteen, “Your Best Life Now,” (New York: Time Warner Book Group, 2004.) In this book Mr. Osteen argues suffering is not a part of God’s plan, but the result of our negative words, or the negative words of others, spoken over us that we have received. His argument would be it is not God’s will for His children to suffer, but to triumph.

[25] Tennet, “World Missions,” 470.

[26] Ibid, 472.

[27] Ibid, 476.

[28] Ibid, 479.

[29] Donald Trump, “Think Big,” (New York: HarperCollins, 2007.) This book provides tips on achieving success in business and in life, discussing thinking big, passion, instincts, creating luck, fear, revenge, momentum, focus, and prenuptial agreements. It is all about being stronger and coming out as the winner. Indeed it is counter-cultural to the suffering Servant, Jesus Christ.

[30] Tennet, “World Missions,” 470.

[31] "Success-N-Life." www.roberttiltonlive.com. http://www.roberttiltonlive.com/webcast.html (accessed October 26, 2011).

[32] Tennent, “World Missions,” 287.

[33] Ibid, 287.

[34] Ibid, 422.

[35] Colin Brown, “Dictionary of New Testament Theology,” Vol.2. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.) 392.

[36] John Piper, “Let the Nations Be Glad,” (Grand Rapids:Baker, 2003.) 17.

[37] Ibid, 20.

[38] Ibid, 20.